Kenya Power Company has urged Kisii County residents to protect power assets and has authorized personnel to do connections to reduce the number of illegal electricity connections that lead to electrocution and blackout cases.
Speaking during a meeting with Boda Boda operators on the outskirts of Kisii town, KPLC Customer Experience Department Representative, Hellen Mogire, stated that electricity transformers and conductors were being vandalised in the region, saying there was a need to protect them.
“Transformers are very expensive. It will take, at least, three months to replace a vandalised transformer once we justify it by writing a business case. You will be in the dark all that time,” Mogire added.
Mogire noted that KPLC fines customers up to Sh15,000 for vandalised low voltage conductors and Sh4,000 for stolen electricity meters that are sold to other residents for illegal connections.
She cautioned residents from contracting unauthorised people who walk around areas of residence doing electricity connections, adding that KPLC was conducting an operation to disconnect them.
“Make sure the electricity connection done at your homesteads is genuine. Those who do not have electricity should take application forms at our office and be connected to the last mile connectivity at a cheaper price,” she stated.
Further, she said that residents should ensure that quality cables are used to do wiring in their houses, saying radio cables were not meant to connect electricity from one house to another because they cause fire incidents.
She encouraged residents to use electricity as required to avoid injuries to family members, noting that Kisii County was among the leading counties where people have illegal connections.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com